A Frederick County, Virginia, school board member who admitted being among the first to storm the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, where he helped a fellow rioter in through a broken window and drank beer in the building, pleaded guilty Monday in connection with the riot.
Miles Adkins, 39, of Winchester, was sentenced to a total of 12 intermittent days in prison, spread out over the course of consecutive weekends. He must also serve 24 months of probation and owes both a fine and restitution.
According to court documents, Adkins traveled to D.C. for former President Donald Trump’s “Stop the Steal” rally, inviting others to attend via Facebook and offering a ride to someone.
Adkins’ attorneys told the court that he missed Trump’s speech, but joined the crowd on their way to the Capitol. He entered the building around 2:15 p.m. — within minutes of the initial breach — and “wandered around.”
When he made it inside, Adkins admitted, he waved to other rioters to join the breach, helping one enter the building through a broken window. In the upper lobby of the Visitor’s Center, he drank beer and “danced around in the middle of a group of rioters” until he left around 3:30 p.m., court documents said.
Adkins’ defense argued that he should not receive prison time for his actions, calling his behavior “peaceful in nature” because he was unarmed, did not make physical contact with law enforcement and did not force his way inside the building.
“The spectrum of behavior demonstrated by the Jan. 6 participants is wide, and Mr. Adkins’ activities fall closer to the reckless rather than the malicious,” his attorneys wrote.
According to court documents, Adkins joined the Marines after his high school graduation. He spent two years of his four-year term in Iraq, from 2005 to 2006, where he suffered a back injury and received an honorable discharge.
“His injury followed him into civilian life, along with symptoms of PTSD,” the defense wrote.
In 2021, Adkins was elected to the Frederick County School Board. In an exclusive interview with NBC4 Washington, he said he will not step down from his position.
“You’re gonna need a bigger wrecking ball to get me out of there,” Adkins told NBC4.
Before sentencing, fellow Winchester resident Dana Brunn wrote a character witness letter to the judge on behalf of Adkins and said he has been his friend for two years.
Brunn said he attends school board meetings and has regular discussions with Adkins “on what this county can do to help our children get a better education.”
“He has been clear and courteous and is just a great guy, in my humble opinion,” Brunn wrote.
Meanwhile, other community members have called for Adkins’ resignation.
“We’re asking him to resign because he is really damaging the integrity of our basic functions as community members and as an elected official,” Bryan Nuri told NBC4.
The Virginia Department of Corrections will set the start date for Adkins’ prison sentence.
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